For low wage earners, the plan also pays for progressively discounted prescription drugs. The less you make, the cheaper they get; at some point, they're free. Low wage earners also get a portion of stuff like chiropratic, naturopathy, and physiotherapy paid for.

Kids get some special benefits, like free eye exams.

There's special transportation that's free for non-ambulatory disabled persons - vans with liftgates, and that kind of thing, to take gramps from the care home to the shopping center for example.

Oh, did I mention that the care home was free too?

Let's contrast -- in the United States, the most powerful nation on this planet -- health care costs $300 a month for a lousy plan that will leave you bankrupt if anything happens, or $1,000 a month for a comprehensive plan. That's like, 10 times as much.

The plan is not perfect. Some procedures, especially the non-critical ones, require a long wait. Healthcare is a big (huge) item in the budget. Dental isn't covered -- you have to get that separately. We pay a higher sales tax (5%-12% depending on province), and high wage earners pay more income tax.

But hey. It's a lot better than NOTHING. And you can't get excluded.

And by the way -- Senator Clinton's universal health care plan, eventually, would probably look something like that.

Let's talk about those small businesses. It's a lot easier to compete with big businesses, when you don't have to worry about paying 50%+ of someone's thousand-dollar healthcare benefits just to attract talent.

There are plenty of things to dislike about Canada -- but healthcare is not one of them.

Comments

As a Canadian, that is very familiar both health care systems, I must say that niether is perfect, however it blows my mind that the US is the ONLY 1st world nation without a Universal Health care system. Further it is the most expensive country in the world to get sick! Doctors in this Canada are very well paid as are health care workers. Candians do recieve 1st class care , granted you can't get a next day MRI unless you really need it but if you are sick you are looked after. Canada has one tenth the population base that the US and a larger land mass. Given the population base and fiscal resources south of the boarder the US could/should deliver every citizen the best and most cost effective health care system in the world. Just as there is a mass exodus of dollars offshore for oil there is a mass exodus of resources away from front line health care to insurance companies, wall street and massive health care corporations. Health for profit is an odd concept. Something to think about.